William w



(No Mod W. W. BAYS.

OAR COUPLING. 7 N 342,168, Patented May 18, 1886'. r

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U ITED STATES PATENT QFFICVEQ,

\VILLIAM \V. BAYS, OF ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent 1201342168, dated May 18,1886.

Application filed March10,1886. Serial No. 194,129. (NOmOdclJ To aZZwhom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM; W. BAYS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Ashevill'e, in the county of Buncombe and State of NorthCarolina, have invented new and useful Improvements in Oar-Couplings, ofwhich the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to an automatic carcoupling of the class in which acoupling-pin is so arranged as to be supported in an elevated positionby means of a self-setting trigger, from which the pin is released inseason to engage the coupling-link when the opposite draw-heads cometogether.

The distinguishing features of my invention and the construction,operation, and advantages of the various parts of my improvedcarcoupling will appear in the following description.

In the annexed drawings, illustrating the invention, Figure 1 is alongitudinal sectional elevation of a draw-head provided with myimproved attachments. Fig. 2 is a pla nv View of my improvedcar-coupling. Fig. 31s a front elevation of the same. Fig. 4 is aperspective detail view illustrating the selfsetting trigger and itsactuating mechanism. Fig. 5 is a view of a coupling lever or wand. Fig.6 is aview of a straight coupling-link having one end enlarged orweighted. Fig. 7 represents a crooked link.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designatesa draw-head, which,in the main, may be of any suitable or ordinary construction; but Iprefer it to be quite lar ge,espec1al- 1y on the face. This draw-head isprovided with a recess, 2, for reception of the couplinglink 3, and hasthe usual opening or pin-hole, 4, at the top and bottom for passage ofthe coupling-pin 5, with whlch the link isengaged. The pin 5 issupported loosely in a vertical sliding block or bar, 6, the ends ofwhich are provided with notches or grooves 7, that engage verticalguides 8 on the inner sides of the standards 9, which are secured toeach side of the draw-head near its forward end. These standards 9,whichare secured to each side of the'draw-head, are preferably connected infront by a brace or red, 10, and

on their rear sides are provided with bearings 11, for a rockeubar, 12,which supports the trigger 13 audits immediate actuatiugniechanism. Therocker-bar 12 is provided at its ends with pivots or journals 14, thatrest in the bearings 11 on the back of the standards. To each end of therocker-bar 12 is secured a depending lever, 15, and the opposite leversare connected by a crossbar or round, 16, which passes through the lowerend of the trigger. By reference to Figs. 1 and 4 itwill be seen thatthe trigger 13 is formed on its forward edge or side with aledge orshoulder, 17, which engages and supports the pin-carrying block 6 whenthe latter is raised.

To the upper side of the verticallysliding block or bar 6 is bolted alifting bar or strap, 18, which is curved or recessed on its under side,so as to form an arch over the head of the coupling-pin 5, and therebyallow the pin to have the necessary vertical play without liability ofbecoming detached from its support. This lifting bar or strap 18 is provided with a hook or ring, 19, for attachment of a rod, lever, wire, orchain, 20, that extends upward, and by which the coupling-pin 5 can beraised by an attendant on the top of the car. The coupling-pin can alsobe raised from the side of the car by any suitable rod or leverfulcrumed on the top of one of the standards 9, one end of said rod orlever being passed through the ring 19, while the attendant bears downon the other end. For this purpose I prefer to provide a notch, 2l,inthe top of each standard 9, in which to fulcrum the rod or hand-lever,and I also prefer to employ a lever, 22, having a hook on one end, andalso provided with two protuberances, 23, near the other end, forming anintervening notch, as shown in Fig. 5, and by which lever the ring 19can be engaged and raised with the attached pin-carrying block, thenotch 23 being designed tohold the link,and thus guide it. The lowerends of the dependinglevers 15 are connected by horizontal sliding rods24 to a face-ring, 25, which is provided with guidepins 26,that enteropenings 27 inthe face-plate 28 of the draw-head. The face-plate 28 andface-ring 25 are preferably,but not necessarily, rectangular in form, asshown, respectively, in Figs. 3 and 4, and the face is formed with agroove, channel, or depression, 29, that re- I pin can be made to dropinto engagement ceives the face-ring when pressed back,to prevent theface from being injured.

In the rectangular form of facering the guide-pins 26 are located ateach corner, and

the openings 27 in the face-plate are come.

spondingly arranged.

In the vertical portion of the groove or depression 29 are located theopenings 30, for the passage of the horizontally-sliding rods 24, thatconnect the levers 15 to the face-ring.

To the rear side of the trigger-supporting rocker-bar 12 is attached aweight, 31, which acts to throw the triggergl3, face-ring 25, and theirintermediate connections forward. Instead of this weight, a spring mightbe employed for the same purpose; but I prefer to use a weight as beingmore reliable and effective and less liable to get out of repair.

The rear side of the pin-carrying block .6

and the forward side of the trigger 13 are preferably so beveled,inclined, or curved, as shown in Fig. 1, as to enable the block 6 to bereadily raised in front of the yielding trigger. As soon as thepin-carrying block 6 is raised sufficiently, the weight 21 forces thetrigger 13 forward, with its ledge or shoulder l7 engaged beneath therear lower edge of the block 6, thereby supporting the pin in positionto admit the entrance of the link into the cavity of the draw-head. Whenthe opposite draw-heads come together in coupling two adjacent cars, theface-rings 25 and connected levers 15 are forced back, thereby impartinga partial rotation to the rocker-bar 12, and causing the trigger 13 tomove back sufficiently to disengage and release the pin-carrying bar orblock 6, thus carrying the couplingpin into engagement with the link. Itwill be observed that the face-ring 25 nearly covers the end orcircumference of the draw-head, so that in the act of coupling some partof said face-ring is sure to be touched by the opposite draw-head, evenshould the cars be so placed as not to come together in a direct line. I

:prefer to make the coupling-link 3 enlarged or weighted at one end, asshown in Fig. 6, so as to rest steady in a horizontal position, with itsheavy end engaged in one draw-head, and thereby facilitate theengagement of its other end with the coupling device of the oppositedraw-head.

The operation of the coupling will be readily understood, and it willalso be seen that with the mechanism described the cars of a train canbe readily connected and uncoupled at all times without anynecessity ofthe at tendant risking life or limb by going between the draw-heads tomanipulate the coupling device. In order to admit the insertion of thelink into either draw-head, it is only necessary to raise thecoupling-pin, which can be effected from the top of the car by means ofthe chain 20, or rod or lever 22, or from either side of the car bymeans of a lever inserted in the ring 19, and fulcrunied on one of thestandards. After the link is inserted the therewith, either by touchingthe trigger 13 with a lever or by pushing back the face-ring 25, therebyreleasing the trigger from its eugagement with the pin supporting block.The link being now engaged in one draw-head and the coupling devices ofthe opposite drawhead being properly set, as before described, thecontact of the draw-head will force the face-rings backward, therebytripping the triggerof the disengaged draw-head, and causing itscoupling-pin to engage the link.

It is obvious that either a straight link, as

shown in Fig. 6, or a crooked link, as shown in Fig. 7, may be used,according to the relative heights of the cars to be coupled.

What I claim as my invention is 1. In a car-coupling, the combination ofa draw-head having guide-standards, a pinsupporting block having avertical movement between said standards, a trigger-supportingrocker-bar j ournaled in bearings on said standards and provided withdepending levers, and a movable face-ring supported in front of thedraw-head and connected with the lower ends of the depending levers,substantially as described.

2. The combination of a draw-head having guide-standards and a channeledface-plate provided with apertures 27 and 30, apin-supporting blockhaving a vertical movementbetween the standards, a rocker-bar journaledon the rear of the standards and carrying a trigger, a weight anddepending levers, and a movable face-ring having guide-pins insertedin'the apertures 27, and provided with sliding rods 24, that passthrough the apertures 30, and connect with the lower ends of therocker-levers 15, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a draw-head, astraight or crooked link weighted atone end, a coup ling-pin suspended from a vertically-movable block, arocker-bar, a trigger attached to said rocker-bar and adapted to supportthe pincarrying bar, and a movable face-ring connected with thetrigger-supporting rockerbar, substantially as described.

4. The combination of a draw-head having guide-standards, apin-supporting block having a vertical movement between said standards,a'movable face-ring connected with the trigger-supporting rocker, andmeans for raising the pin-supporting block, substantially as described.

5. The combination of a draw-head having guide-standards 9 andachanneled face-plate, 28, provided withiapertures 27 and 30, thepin-supporting block 6, having a strap, 18,

and ring 19, the rocker-bar 12, having levers 15, the trigger 13, andweight 31, supported by said rocker-bar, the movable face-ring 25,having guide-pins 26, and the sliding rods 24, connecting said face-ringto the levers of the rocker-bar, substantially as described.

6. The coupling lever or wand '22, with a hook on one end for thepurpose of connect necting with lifting-ring 19, (in case there be donewithout the attendant ever going between :0 no chain or 1nd,) touncouple cars from the the cars, either coupling or uncoupling, subtop,and said lever or wand also provided with stantially as described.

a notch, 23, near the opposite end,for the pur- In testimony whereof Ihave affixed my sigpose of engaging and guiding the couplingnature inpresence of two witnesses.

link 3, when desired, when the cars are being WILLIAM XV. BAYS. coupledand especially for guiding said link Vitnesses:

' when crooked, so as to connect draw-heads of JOHN D. DEVAULT,

different heights from the road-bed, and all LEO DEVAULT.

